You Just Can't Make This S**t Up!

Irish footballer Derek Malone thrown out of Paralympics for not being disabled enough

The IPC ruling appears to have undermined the credibility of its own classification system.

Malone was barred from the seven-a-side football tournament - for players with cerebral palsy - after officials had watched Malone play for 20 minutes. They said his condition does not meet minimal criteria.

Malone insisted last night he has been penalised for getting into peak physical shape.

At the Athens Paralympics, in 2004, Malone had to convince the IPC that he suffered from cerebral palsy in order to compete in the 800 metres.

Malone said: "I refuse to let a flawed process cast aspersions on the integrity of the achievements I have made. Cerebral palsy has shown to be a very trainable condition but if you stop training for any length of time, the symptoms will return. There's no cure for cerebral palsy."

Doubts over the classification system for football at these Games had already been raised.

Following his side's 12-1 defeat by Russia on Wednesday, Dutch coach Jan-Hein Evers said some members of the opposition were good enough to play professionally.

The Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association has admitted they do have concerns over the issue.

Alan Dickson, chairman on CP-ISRA, the governing body for CP sport, said: "We have had a recognised classification system in place for some time.

"As the sport moves on, you have to be prepared to move that on too. People are training more and that may have an effect on their functional ability."